Grand

I went here for their going out of business sale and wish I had discovered this place sooner. I heard about the sale from my acupuncturist so I tried to find the place to check it out. I could immediately see why there were going out of business b/​c it is hard to find and you never would be able to tell the awesomeness inside from the outside façade. Picked up some amazing colored glass serving dishes, and some other fun nicknacks for the kitchen. Definitely wish I had found this place sooner and sad to see a great local business go!

Really great store, especially if you’re looking for a unique gift for your coolest friend who has everything cool.

I usually dislike stores like this, they tend to be all trend with $$$$$ price tags, massive attitude, and everything they peddle is crap.
Grand is different.
Yes, it’s trendy but also affordable and they toss in some great vintage pieces (carnival glass!) that you just haven’t seen around enough. Attitude? Not when I’ve been in, instead they are welcoming, friendly, and helpful. Crap? No. I haven’t bought much here but what I have has been great, even my ridiculously adorable ladybug toothbrush thing-​a-​ma-​jig.
I’m super happy that I finally stopped in and frankly I’ll take one of everything k?

Grand’s been around for a while, and they really have diversified from when they first opened. Yeah, there’s lots of hipster Ts and such, but I find if I need to get a gift for a friend, Grand is always on my list of places to stop. I also love that they have Poor Little Rich Girl next door.

Great little store in Union Square, Somerville with awesome gifts. And it’s very affordable. A store like this in the South End would charge twice as much for the same inventory.
A small selection of vintage clothing, designer t-​shirts, baby gear, jewelry and lots of home items, all very reasonably priced. I will definitely be going back!

Grand, in my opinion is a diamond in the rough.
When you walk into Grand, it is likely one of the owners is there to greet you, and shockingly… they are nice and informative. I happen to find this, in general, a rarity around Boston, esp if the shop happens to be particularly hip.
In addition to having awesome merchandise, the Grand often has fun little ‘get togethers’ and promote local artists, vendors, and restaurants. These events are always posted on Facebook (which is how I keep updated).
I highly recommend stopping in and saying hello… I think you will be pleasantly surprised with what Grand has to offer, over all.

Before I stepped foot in Grand, I never knew that the very thing missing from my life was a white, cast iron pig. But that little piggy is staying home (in Grand’s window display) until I have a hundred cheds and can stay away from sale sections at all my usual compulsive-​shopping haunts.
Great place for things you never knew you wanted but definitely wanted just the same. Their blown glass waterbottles would make lovely flower vases – their melamine lunch trays take me back to the times when instant potatoes still stuck to ceilings and pigs-​in-​blankets qualified as all-​inclusive meals – their selection of bar supplies/​accoutrements assures that you’ll be rocking the Bond bravado while mixing up a ‘tini in no time. Basically, you could make a pretty nice life for yourself if you were in possession of everything in this store.
I go frequently to touch everything and scope out the tee-​shirts. Oh, the tee-​shirts! Stock up when the Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction tees go on sale-​you may not know *why* a tissue-​thin shirt with a heavily bearded dude on it is so appealing, but it just is. Go with it.
Also: There is an amazing Shepard Fairey mural on the side of the store.

This store is a pretty fun place to browse and shop, particularly if you’re looking for a present… for yourself or for others. I’ve been in a number of times since they opened, and they have fun items you certainly aren’t going to find around Union, or many other places. I love the selection of fun jewelry, and also the home décor items. Cool lamps, pillows, and I just got a fun (and functional) laundry bag the other week. They have an array of local items that I love (Fluff shirts, Boston art prints) and have recently expanded the array of bar accessories and goodies. Very fun. If only I made me crazy drinks at home on a regular basis. Also cool: lots of fun t-​shirts and sneakers.
The service is good without being pushy, which is always appreciated. I enjoy having Grand in Union, even if it’s on the outskirts!

They have many unique items here that are good for gifts. I bought some «hand» soap (in the shape of hands) which were funny.
I’ve lived in the area for a long time, and like having them in the barrio.

Finally I got my butt in my car and made it over to Grand.
Big open space, a lot of wasted space, but I didn’t mind because it wasn’t cluttered like some places can get.
Some of the gear I liked — the Got Fluff t-​shirts nearly grabbed me — but most of it was just eh for me. I liked the housewares, but nothing really caught my eye. I love Polka Dog Bakery stuff, but I live downtown within walking distance to the real thing, so I prefer to buy the stuff right from the source.
The sun jar is so cool, I would love one for the weekend house, but I’m going to wait until next spring to purchase that one.
I really really really loved the environmentally friendly candles. They smelled SOOOOOOOOO good. I must’ve lingered a good 10 minutes at the table, sniffing one, then another, and then back again, and then another. but again, I wasn’t compelled to get any of them.
Cute store, nice addition to the Square (which, the fact that it’s getting yuppy-​ized is kind of comical to me), but I’m not sure I’d make a special trip to head back. I feel like I could find a lot of that stuff in a bunch of other places — within walking distance.
But major kudos to a local place giving back. Extra points!

I dig this place. I only went their once with my friend, but I get a good vibe from the space and support what they are doing. It has a hip vibe, but not in that mass-​produced urban outfitters way. My friend got a very nice little wallet and an awesome set of plates for his kitchen. I was also really attracted to some screen-​prints they had there but was short on cash.
The staff were very helpful and friendly, and its cool to see something like that open up in kind of a bleak area, giving some hope. I hope more business follow-​suit.

So, Grand isn’t the type of place you go because you need something specific.
But it has a hodge podge of clothes and housewares and the type of things that you didn’t think you needed.
Here’s 5 stars to a boutique dedicated to hip whimsy in Union Square.
Moreover, I went today and the owner was there, very kind, excited to tell you about the store and what he has stocked.
I love an owner who is this conscious and invested.
Oh! and I did pick up Polka Dog treats (the owner gave some free packets for my dog — who by the way huge plus — is allowed in the store), a Taza bar and a great graphic hoodie for the Hubs.
None of which I really needed, but I’m happy I have.

I finally checked this place out on Sunday and absolutely loved it. It’s really well-​bought, the layout is open and modern but still feels very inviting. The person behind the counter (maybe an owner?) didn’t bother me and let me browse until I had questions and then he was engaging and knowledgeable.
I’m not sure why a couple of people said it was over-​priced. I’m familiar with several of the brands they carry from various décor websites I frequent and Grand prices them far less. Most of the items they carry are high-​quality, artisan pieces that are otherwise really hard to find in Boston. I thought everything was more than fairly priced.
There are now several things on my ‘want list’ from Grand and I will be back. I’m really into antlers lately. Heh.

I checked out GRAND this weekend and started chatting with one of the owners. He actually lives just down the block and said of all the places in the city, he started GRAND in Union to help bring the entire neighborhood Press, instead of just him! How cool is that?
Well I loved the space and found lots of cool items like vegan earrings and great printed totes, but at first I thought, nothing was for me! Look a bit longer! I ended up buying a great snake shirt, almost Medusa esq for $ 40 and a bright blue sailboat sweatshirt for my best friend for $ 58. The prices aren’t cheap, but I would pay at least that in Urban Outfitters for mass produced products, so I am much happier to spend it here!
In fact the owner Jonathan told me that 67% of the money you spend at a local store goes back into your community — versus the pennies that stay in the local economy when you shop somewhere like Target.
I am excited to see what new products they carry as the store grows. At the moment its a bit too much dish ware for me, but I am sure they are still ordering and figuring out what works! Just Grand :)

I stopped by the store today on a mission to find a journal somewhere in union square. The help was quite friendly and my boy and I were able to entertain ourselves browsing around for probably 20 minutes. Sure some things are pricey — mainly the designer type home furnishings and clothes. But despite what I consider a somewhat intimidating store design/​setup the people working there were friendly and there are quite a few affordable things that would make entertaining gifts.
I ended up buying a great $ 10 journal with absolutely fantastic prints from a guy out of LA. Lots of other fun stationary, affordable dishes, and I think the Keep shoes were really awesome.
I was on my way out when I saw the rack of hoodies… I’m normally very very good about being cheap and not buying lots of clothes just because I think they’re cute. I could not resist though and got this incredibly cool hand screen printed brown hoodie with fantastic pockets in the front and buttons. So so so cool.

I used to live in Union Square, and am amused to see the gentrification process really start to take hold. Nightclubs, posher restaurants, and now a store that looks part art gallery part Newbury Street material.
The store is interesting. You walk in and it feels like an art gallery, lots of empty open space, painted walls, and tables and shelves artfully arranged to display the various stuff they have for sale.
I like the fact that they sell some stuff you can find on Etsy, and I thought the invisible tables were really neat (it looks like lucite or glass, and looks like a tablecloth draped over… nothing), like everyone else I liked the sun jars, and the gourmet dog treats are also cute.
They had a small selection of t-​shirts and hoodies that were a touch pricey, and the designs were almost-​but-​not-​quite-​perfect-​for-​me.
I want to lovelovelove the store, but I don’t. I almost do, and I really believe it’s going to get more awesome as time goes by, but again, I’m not a «stuff» person, and this is absolutely the store for people who like neat stuff.

I popped into Grand earlier, and liked what I saw. It’s a little out-​of-​place for Union Square (usually home to peruvian restaurants and dodgy cellphone shops), but along with other recently-​opened businesses like Bloc 11 and Hub Comics, it suggests the area’s about to change.
The store is definitely, um, «open» — some might describe it as sparse or barren. But there’s some really cool items on display and for sale. Best way to describe it? Imagine taking the Urban Outfitters on Newbury St and throwing out about 99% of the crap they sell. The homegoods are stylish and smile-​bringing — the Sun Jars in particular caught my eye as a great gift.
The hoodies and t-​shirts looked dashing if pricey, but alas they didn’t have any that would wrap around my portly belly. Jon said they’d try to get an XXL version of a hoodie I liked, so if that comes through, I’ll bump them up an extra star.
I’ll absolutely be popping back to Grand, as it appears they’ll be cycling through merchandise regularly, and look forward to seeing how it evolves.

So after the hype on
and the positive reviews on Unilocal (not sure how you can rate a place you haven’t been to?) I went to check out Grand. As a supporter of local businesses I was hoping I would love it. The person working was friendly and greeted us when we walked in — which I liked.
The overall design of the place is nice, but it’s really sparse inside — it seems a little empty. There is definitely stuff in the store, and I don’t like over packed stores, but this seemed a little bare.
They had funky pillows, plastic plates, dog food, t-​shirts, sweatshirts, and sneakers (organic I think). And they had some organic soaps /​body wash that looked nice. Most of the items seemed kind of collegiate though, besides the pillows and bath products the other things didn’t interest me. I’m happy to see stores moving into Union though, so I will have to check out Grand again in a few months.

Not your typical Newbury Street store, that’s because it’s in Somerville. Up and coming Union Square has a fine new addition.
I love the glow jars and the realistic looking piggy bank (which has been featured in many cool design shows).
Owners are really nice and you’re destined to find a great gift for you or someone you care about.

Union Square is on the up-​and-​up and Grand is a part of that trend for sure. Locally owned by some folks I know, it’s a store/​art gallery that will showcase of the coolest brands and artists from around the world. The people in charge of this place are seriously talented so I’m convinced it will be nothing short of… GRAND.
(Here’s some pics taken at the Grand Opening on 1÷19÷08
)